Healthy Eating
Eating fish Eating fish can reduce your risk for heart disease. Fish are high in healthy fats.
How much fish should I eat? Eat 1-2 servings per week of fish and seafood that are low in mercury.
Canned light tuna Trout Sardines
Catfish Atlantic mackerel Salmon
Shrimp Herring Anchovies
Avoid fish that are high in mercury. Try not to eat king mackerel, tilefish, shark, swordfish, white tuna, and albacore tuna. Chicken and turkey are good choices Chicken and turkey cost less than meat and fish. It is OK to eat the skin. The fat quality in the skin is quite good.
How much chicken and turkey should I eat? It is fine to eat chicken and turkey 3 or more times each week.
Be careful about eating fried chicken from restaurants. It may have unhealthy trans fats and a lot of salt.
Ask the restaurant what type of oil they use for frying.
How should I cook my fish, chicken, and turkey? You can bake, broil, grill, barbeque or fry. If you fry, be sure to use healthy vegetable oils.
Eat less red meat, like beef, pork, and lamb People who eat large amounts of red meat have an increased risk for colon cancer. Eat red meat no more than 2 times each day or less.
Avoid processed meats like bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and cold cuts
Processed meats include deli meats like turkey, chicken, roast beef, corned beef, and so on.
Processed meats increase your risk for heart disease, probably because of the preservatives (salt, nitrites, and phosphates). Limit processed meat to 2 times per week or less.
What about eggs? Eggs are a good source of protein and healthy fats. If you enjoy eating eggs, eating 1 or 2 a day is fine.
What about milk, cheese, and yogurt? It is fine to have 2-3 servings of low or full fat milk, cheese, or yogurt per day. A serving of milk and yogurt is 1 cup. A serving of cheese is about the size of your thumb, 1 ounce.
Avoid drinking flavored milk because of the high sugar content.
Limit flavored yogurts because of the high sugar content. Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit.
Limit dairy desserts (ice cream, ice milk, and frozen yogurt) to 2 times a week or less. They contain more sugar than other dairy products.
Summary Eat fish 1 or more times a week. It contains healthy fats.
Poultry is healthier than red meat and costs less.
Avoid processed meats, like cold cuts, hot dogs, deli meats, sausage, and bacon.
Limit red meats.
Dairy products (milk, yogurt, cheese) and eggs are other good choices.
Goals Check one or two goals to start working on!
Eat fish 1 or more times each week Choose fish with low levels of mercury, such as salmon, catfish, shrimp, and canned light tuna. If you eat canned tuna choose light tuna, not albacore or white tuna. When you fry fish use health fats like vegetable oil instead of shortening or lard.
Cut down on bacon, sausage, hot dogs and cold cuts Try having breakfast without meat on some days. Try sandwiches made with sliced fresh beef, chicken or turkey.
Choose chicken and turkey more often Try eating 3 or more servings of poultry each week. Do not fry chicken in shortening, as most shortening has unhealthy trans fats. Cut down on red meat If you like eating red meat like beef, pork or lamb, aim for no more than 2 servings per day. Less is better.
Choose dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt to replace less healthy meats If you enjoy dairy products, 2 to 3 servings per day of low or full fat dairy products is a good goal. Ice cream, frozen yogurts and other dairy desserts are high in sugar. Save these treats a couple times per week or less.
Eggs are a good choice Eating 1 to 2 eggs per day should not increase your risk of heart disease. Try hard boiled eggs. They are great on salads or as a healthy snack.
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